BBC North, the BBC’s base in Manchester, was treated to a special performance by the full force of its resident orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its arrival at MediaCityUK in Salford. Conductor John Wilson raised the baton for this unique ‘Happy Birthday’ arrangement.

The orchestra was one of the first arrivals when the new premises opened in the summer of 2011 and it has continued to record for programmes across the BBC’s wide output of radio stations. This includes regular Live in Concert broadcasts from Bridgewater Hall for Radio 3, working with cutting-edge electronic artist Nero on Radio 1, and bringing film scores to life for Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s popular film review show on Radio 5 live.

As well as the BBC Philharmonic, BBC North is the base for BBC Breakfast, BBC Sport and BBC Children in Need, and now employs around 3,000 BBC and 650 BBC digital staff.

‘We simply couldn’t let this day pass without a performance of our own and we hope you enjoy it,’ says Simon Webb, general manager of the BBC Philharmonic.

We use cookies to improve your experience of our website. Cookies perform functions like recognising you each time you visit and delivering advertising messages that are relevant to you. Read more here